I’ll give you 2021 is lacking, but ya kinda brush over our higher level opponents the next two years, which consist of 2 of the 3 best programs right now.

Although every other game in 2022 is less than ideal outside of Cal and the standards

Marshall
Cal
Stanford
UNLV
Navy
USC
UNC
BC
Syracuse

2023 is
USC
Wake
Navy
Stanford
Duke
Louisville
NC State
Pitt

There are still some open slots in those years, but I'd be shocked if we get any big names. They feel like buy slots for us.

Those are some extremely top heavy schedules with a bunch of less than stellar programs underneath. Demand for OSU and Clemson tickets will be through the roof. The rest will be wide open for tickets.


Unfortunately for us, outside of Clemson, the ACC really sucks, and we are locked and loaded with them plus USC/Navy/Stanford.

Both years feature Clemson, Ohio State, and USC.

2022 especially spaces those games out nicely, with Ohio State leading off, Clemson in an early November showdown, and USC as the finale. The rest of the games don't much matter, but for what it's worth, I'd expect BC to finish the season ranked, and UNC to finish as a top 15 team then. But when you play 2 of the top 3 teams over the last decade, there's opportunities for great games/moments, and nothing that anyone can sneeze at when looking at a resume for playoff contention.

2023 shapes up just a little bit worse, with no season-capping game to speak of. It also doesn't appear as though any of the current filler will be particularly good. Might be a good year to reschedule the Wisconsin game...

with USC. So that schedule may have teams ranked something along the lines of 2, 3, 16, and 16, which is pretty good if it holds. It kind of sucks that Stanford has fallen off the map a lot and that Cal is still down. Marshall is currently ranked but that’s not assured to continue in a regular season. I get what you’re saying, but he really brushed past Ohio State in saying “Clemson was a decent game but otherwise...”

In my opinion. That’s the equivalent of brushing past Alabama now.

like Clemson”

I didn’t brush past anyone and my point stands. We play a bunch of tomato cans a one or two decent teams. It’s far from the standard of excellence our best teams proved themselves against and the types of schedules our championship teams and coaches regularly faced.

I know I know. It’s not 1988 anymore...

There will be a lot of SEC schools above us, and it's possible Ohio State, by virtue of playing us, will also be there.

Our problem is the ACC sucks, outside of Clemson, and will continue to suck, which will drag us down.

USC can no longer be counted upon to be good.

Navy has always been a lose-lose

Stanford is weak

Now we’ve added bullshit buy games.

ND should never lose more than 1 game because they don’t play anybody good anymore.

Shwashbrack has stacked the deck for Kelly, and he still manages to trip over his own dick every year.

And people eat it up because “it’s the best we can do”

They were generally good for a 49-7 beat down